Alex Avila

Avila was worth 1.3 wins above replacement over 201 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks, but that value was tied mostly to his quality defense and on-base skills (17.9 BB%). He has been around or below the Mendoza Line in each of the last two seasons and failed to reach double-digit home runs in both of those campaigns as well. He agreed to a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Twins to work as the backup to Mitch Garver. Minnesota needed a placeholder in the backup catcher spot, but it's possible that top catching prospect Ryan Jeffers could unseat Avila from that role at some point in the final months of the season. Avila is a do-no-harm second catcher in deep OBP leagues, but projects to be a net negative in leagues that use batting average.

There was hope that the move to Arizona would provide a boost to Avila's value and make him a decent bargain in 2018. Oops. Avila maintained his willingness to accept walks, but cratered across the line and even a 16% walk rate could not pull his on-base percentage over the .300 mark. His strikeout rate was an abysmal 39% last year, marking the sixth consecutive season in which Avila has struck out in at least 30 percent of his plate appearances. At this point of his career, he is Adam Dunn without the homers at the plate but remains a solid defensive catcher behind the dish. His 2015-2017 seasons were good OBP seasons and he could do that again, so there is your silver lining if you are in a OBP league and must draft two catchers. In single catcher leagues, let someone else roster this risk.

Avila had his best season at the plate since 2011, returning to the Tigers after a one-year stay with the White Sox to hit .274/.394/.475 over 77 games before a midseason trade to the Cubs. Once he was traded, Avila was a temporary starter in Chicago while Willson Contreras was on the DL, and while he continued to get on base at a steady clip in the second half (.369), his average (.239) and slugging percentage (.380) plummeted while his strikeout rate jumped to 35.7 percent. Now 31, and with a significant injury history that includes multiple concussions, Avila is ideally suited for part-time duty at catcher. He figures to lead a three-headed catching timeshare in Arizona after signing a two-year deal in January.

Avila's past few seasons have been like a broken record, as he consistently puts up meager numbers while battling a multitude of injuries. Last year was no different, as he was limited to 57 games on the season due to hamstring issues. The 29-year-old's time on the field wasn't great, either, as he batted just .213 while striking out a whopping 37.3 percent of the time. He continued to display excellent patience as his 18.2 percent walk rate suggests, but his contact rate sunk like a rock to a dreary 54 percent. Avila returned to the Tigers this offseason, inking a one-year deal. He has a bit of a niche as a left-handed-batting catcher, but given his injury history and declining production, Avila isn't worth consideration for a fantasy roster spot anymore.

Avila missed 49 games in 2015 because of a knee injury. By the time he returned, his starting role with the Tigers was gone and he found himself on the short side of a platoon with James McCann. His batting average, OBP and slugging percentage have been declining since his Silver Slugger season of 2011. But in 2015, Avila became a complete liability at the plate and finished with an abysmal .191/.339/.287 slash line. His .131 average against lefties made Mario Mendoza look like a stud. Simply put, Avila is a declining player with too many miles and injuries on the odometer. His best days are definitely behind him, and considering the White Sox gave Dioner Navarro $1.5 million more than they did Avila for one year, it seems likely Avila will play second fiddle.

While his path was different this time around, the final results of Avila’s most recent campaign were similar to past seasons. Avila struggled once again, hitting .218/.327/.359 with 11 home runs, 47 RBI and 44 runs in 124 games. His final line was almost identical to his 2013 output, albeit with an additional 60 at-bats in 2014. Unlike past seasons when Avila would have a second-half surge that would lead to optimism for his next campaign, the Tigers' catcher struggled throughout the entirety of the season. Despite playing over 120 games for just the second time in his career, Avila dealt with numerous injuries throughout the 2014 season, including a postseason concussion, which spurred conversation as to whether he should consider retirement. Avila was pronounced symptom-free shortly after the Tigers' postseason exit, and the team picked up his option for the 2015 campaign. Avila will open the season as the Tigers' primary backstop, but his lack of production and history with concussions could open the door for James McCann to earn a larger role.

Avila followed up his disappointing 2012 campaign with another lackluster showing in 2013. He finished the season hitting a career-low .227 with 11 homers and 47 RBI in 330 at-bats. The 27-year-old catcher saw a noticeable drop in plate discipline, as his BB/K ratio dropped from 0.59 to 0.39 and his contact rate dipped to a career-worst 66 percent. Minor injuries and a prolonged hitting slump in the first half of the season led to a drop in playing time, allowing Avila to appear in just 102 games – his lowest total since 2010. Despite seemingly hitting rock bottom in the first half of the season (.177/.279/.293), Avila was able to bounce back after the All-Star break. In 44 second-half games, Avila hit .303/.376/.500 with five homers and 26 RBI. At 27, Avila is seemingly just entering his prime, and his strong finish to the 2013 season hints that he could still revert back to the breakout form displayed during his All-Star campaign in 2011. He’s once again locked in as the Tigers’ primary catcher, which will lead to plenty of at-bats if he’s able to stay healthy.

Avila took a step back from his All-Star caliber play of 2011, hitting just .243/.352/.384 with nine homers and 48 RBI in 367 at-bats. Avila's drop in power from 19 homers to nine can be attributed to spike in his G/F ratio, which rose from 0.9 to 1.6. If Avila can start getting the ball in the air more, we should see a bounce back in power numbers from the 26-year-old backstop. Although he was not forced to miss significant time because of injury, Avila dealt with some knee problems that carried over from the second half of the 2011 season and a concussion. The minor injuries paired with his struggles at the plate resulted in backup former Gerald Laird seeing more action against left-handed pitching as the season progressed. The good news is Avila has not reported any health issues this offseason and should be the only proven veteran behind the plate for the Tigers, which means ample playing time going forward as Detroit plans to use Victor Martinez primarily at designated hitter. His struggles last season may have hurt his value for shallow mixed leagues that start just one catcher, but Avila should still be a factor in most formats.

The breakout many were expecting from Avila in 2010 came a year later. After a lackluster 2010 campaign, Avila emerged as one of the better hitting catchers in the majors last season. The Tigers brought in one-time mentor Gerald Laird to back up Avila, so he may lose a few at-bats to lefties, but that's probably for the best considering Avila was overworked and appeared worn down near the end of the 2011 season. The knee injury that slowed him late in the year didn't require surgery, and he's expected to be at full strength for spring training. At 25, Avila is one of the better young catchers in the league and has room to develop.

After a solid 29-game stint with the Tigers in 2009, Avila came into the 2010 season with high expectations. Unfortunately he struggled in his first full season, finishing with a .228/.316/.340 line in 294 at-bats while splitting time with Gerald Laird behind the plate. The Tigers brought in Victor Martinez this offseason, but the plan is to ride Avila as the team's No. 1 backstop, giving him the majority of starts against right-handed pitching. With that gig, Avila could eclipse 400-plus at-bats in his sophomore season. His struggles at the plate in 2010 will push away some suitors, but Avila has the skills to put up a decent average with some pop. He's worth a look in deep leagues and formats that start two catchers.

After brief stints with Low-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie the past two seasons, Avila saw a promotion to the big leagues in August last year. He filled in nicely as Gerald Laird’s backup, hitting .279/.375/.590 in 61 at-bats. The success he had during his callup has locked Avila in as the backup catcher for the start 2010 season. If Laird continues to struggle with the bat, the left-handed Avila could turn his role into more of a timeshare situation than the expected backup gig.